I've spent the last 6 months in the company of award-winning mechanical keyboards and wasn't sure I wanted to give up my latest purchase to make room for Cortek MK1. I didn't know much about the brand, I had never tried their products and I was absolutely skeptical about the quality of the latter. Still, I had to change my mind.
I liked Cortek MK1 right from the start, a sort of love at first sight made of lightning and noisy keys and multi-colored LEDs. In short, if you are looking for a new gaming keyboard, the MK1 could be for you. I'll explain immediately why.
Cortek MK1: spartana ma robusta
The first impact with Cortek MK1 is not the best. Compared to other similar peripherals, this mechanical keyboard features an absolutely spartan design. No frills, no unnecessary edges, no additional accessories. MK1 is devoted to essentiality, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been designed with care. To denote a certain attention to the product we think first of all the materials, with the structure made of steel and capable of guaranteeing stability even in the most exciting gaming sessions. The lower feet are also sturdy, naturally rubberized so as to remain firmly anchored to the desk in any situation; the cable instead is covered with nylon, while the USB connector is gold plated.
And the keys? There are actually 3 variants. You can have switch rossi, neri e blu (like the one I tried). All three types should guarantee fast and comfortable writing, with decidedly optimal response times. This means that Cortek MK1 also performs well with your entire library of games, from FPS to strategy, without tiring you and your fingers.
No drivers, no software
One thing particularly struck me about this peripheral: it doesn't need software. I'm not just talking about the drivers. The keyboard - with Italian QWERTY layout - is absolutely Plug and Play, so all you have to do to start using it is to connect it to the PC. But it doesn't stop there. Cortek has not developed any type of software, preferring to adopt a decidedly different strategy than more famous manufacturers. This means that to manage the RGB lighting you will have to use only and exclusively the MK1 keys. With FN + INS you can choose one of the 13 pattern precaricati, with FN + PS you can instead change color while pressing FN + a number from 1 to 8 you can load one of the scheduled profiles. A few examples? FN + 1 activates the FPS mode, FN + 4 instead the one suitable for RTS while FN + 8 is designed for League of Legends.
The choice made by Cortek is undoubtedly courageous, but nevertheless limiting. On the one hand, in fact, we have an exceptional speed in changing the settings, on the other hand we are faced with a product that yes, includes many different profiles, but which in any case does not allow you to change the settings to adapt them to your needs.
It is then impossible not to consider the more aesthetic and frivolous side of this choice. Each key is in fact accompanied by its own LED and this guarantees capillary illumination perfect for use in the dark. However Cortek decided to opt for only 7 colors, a very small number when compared to the 16 million offered by the competition.
Surprising but with some flaws
[
In short, Cortek MK1 isn't perfect but it was still able to surprise me and to give me hours and hours of comfortable typing, provided of course that you can live with the inevitable noise caused by this type of keyboard.
Cortek MK1 is already available on the market at the cost of Euro 99.
